People are heavily dependent on computing and communication devices to store, process, and transmit data across a vast system of communication networks. People all over the world use fixed and mobile computing and communication devices to perform personal and business tasks. Such use generates billions of data transmission each day via mobile and fixed communication devices such as smart phones, tablet PC's, notebook PC's, desktop PC's, or any other device that transmits data over a communication network.
It is important for a device to have knowledge about other devices in the communications network, such that the devices may communicate with each other. A device's software application may be enabled to communicate with a server to convey presence information so that a community of devices may know about each other and communicate with each other over the communications network. For example, an instant messaging application may require the user to provide a username and password so the server can authenticate and then track the presence of the user's device. The authentication process must be done every time a connection is established with the server. The requirement to authenticate the user becomes exasperated when a secure communication network is used. In a secure communication network, where the password is not stored in the device's memory, the user must enter the password many times. This effort is yet even more cumbersome in secure mobile communication networks where network conditions necessitate reestablishing connections to the server on an even more regular basis. This need to reestablish secure connections so many times makes it practically impossible to implement a secure presence feature for communication devices on a secure mobile communications network.
This invention provides a novel method, apparatus, and system in which the burden for a user of a device to enter credential information, such as a login name and password, is significantly less frequent than existing solutions. This invention enables a device to securely determine the presence information of another device over an unsecure or secure communication network.